


Old Friends, New Friends

by FujurPreux



Category: Fringe, Gravity Falls
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-19 02:57:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4730189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FujurPreux/pseuds/FujurPreux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set before Episode 2x01 of Gravity Falls "Scary-oke", but with spoilers all the way through of episode 2x12, "A Tale of Two Stans." The Fringe group goes to Gravity Falls. Walter finds answers he wanted, and Olivia becomes the Queen of the Gnomes. It creates a divergence from GF canon, but that's Fringe for you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old Friends, New Friends

**Author's Note:**

  * For [laurus_nobilis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurus_nobilis/gifts).



"Thank everything you're here," Peter said as soon as he opened the door. "Walter won't come out of the bathroom."

"Is he sick?" Olivia asked, hurrying inside the house. She was already going through the logistics of the setback when Peter answered.

"Nope. He's being stubborn, and apparently he really doesn't like where we're going." Peter began pacing, spreading his arms as he spoke. "Everything was fine and he was even excited at the chance of going in a plane. But as soon Gravity Falls came up, he decided to hate everything and declare he's not going. And to punctuate that, he locked himself in the bathroom." With a long suffering sigh, he flopped on the couch's arm. "He refuses to tell me why, and I can't get him out."

Olivia sighed and flattened her hair down, even if no hair was out of place. This was less bad than Walter being sick, both from a personal and a professional standpoint. She'd already factored in a random delay from the old scientist, so they had about forty-five minutes to get him out. 

"Has he been there before?" she asked on her way to the bathroom. 

"No idea." Peter then grimaced and shook his head. "But they're sending us there for a reason..."

"I know," she replied. The idea had already crossed her mind, but until then she hoped it wasn't the case. But one thing at a time. 

"Leave me be!" Walter said in answer to Olivia's knocking. "I'm not going!"

"Walter, please," she said. "We have reports of strange things happening in that town. We need your help." 

"I said no. You can do this without me."

"People may be in danger," Olivia said, and let that simmer down. If that didn't work, she'd start considering kicking the door down. In the worst case scenario, they couldn't leave Walter there while she and Peter were so far away.

However, after nearly two minutes, the door unlocked and Walter took a peek from the other side. "Yes..." he mumbled. "Yes, they may." Slowly, the way a scared kitten testing how much he could trust someone, Walter came out. "I'll go. Under protest, but I'll go."

"Thank you, Walter," Olivia said, patting his hand.

"I still need to go pack my things."

"Already took care of that," Peter informed. 

"Are you sure, son? I need to check. You could have forgotten something."

"I didn't. Let's go."

However, Walter undid the suitcase and then packed it again, once the made sure Peter hadn't, indeed, forgotten anything. That ate the rest of the extra time Olivia calculated, and thus they got to the airport in time.

***

Walter honored his word of going under protest. He pouted all the way in and out of the plane, and during the car trip that would take them to the Gravity Falls, even if he did seem to pay attention to the report Olivia gave the Bishops. It was better than nothing, really. And knowing him, the man would start working and forget all about his tantrum as soon as something caught his interest.

"Left of right?" Peter asked when they got to a fork, the last one before their destination.

Olivia checked her map. "Left," she said after a moment. Both roads would take them to the town, but the one she chose seemed shorter.

"Left it is," Peter said.

As soon as the car moved in that direction, however, Olivia noticed three different vehicles going to the right, and she was sure their passengers looked at them with a worried expression. Food for thought... Although, since despite of that no one actively stopped to try to dissuade them, and there were no official blocks, she didn't mention it. Strange things happened in the area, and people tended to avoid the strange, even unconsciously. Thus, the chances of them going in the right way were good enough.

As she expected, there was no traffic at all here. Moreover, this road hadn't seen any traffic at all in years, if the way the forest was reclaiming it served as any indication. Giant bushes flanked their way, and the thickest trees Olivia had ever seen intertwined their branches above them, at the same time they caused cracks on the pavement with their roots. It wasn't that bad, though, so they kept going. 

"Kinda spooky, isn't it?" Peter asked with a chuckle that was more nervous that he probably intended.

"Yeah..." Olivia began, but the encouraging smile she meant for Peter died when all four of the rented car's tires exploded at the same time. 

She didn't waste any time, so one second later she was already out of the car, tense and looking all around them, one hand ready to draw her gun at the first sign of hostility. Peter followed, and went to the back of the car.

"Spikes," he announced. "Old and rusty, so I don't think they were put here specifically for us."

That, and the fact that no stranger gloated anywhere where she could hear, made Olivia relax a little. Only a little. "All right," she said. A deep breath later, in which she analyzed their options—which weren't many—she continued. "We walk the rest of the way. It shouldn't be long."

"Even less than you think," Peter said. He pointed at a billboard on the other side of the road, conveniently placed in front of them. Or in front of whoever happened to lose their tires to the spike line. The letters were starting to fade, but they could still be read.

_'Lost?_  
_In dire need of making a phone call?_  
_We have the solution! Come to..._  
_The Mystery Shack!_  
_AKA_  
_The Closest Civilized Place To Your_  
_Current Location!_  
_Just follow the map below!'_

Peter shook his head. "Subtlety is a dying art."

"Really," Olivia said. "Well, it's a good place to start as any."

"And we can scare them for obstructing an FBI investigation, right?"

"Sure, why not?"

"All right. To the Mystery Shack it is. Come on, Walter," Peter said as he helped his father out from the car.

"Ah! A mystery?" were the first words from Walter since they left the house, and they came out with a child-like enthusiasm. "I like those!" 

"Glad you do, Walter, because we're going to start by straightening this one."

***

The billboard was true to its word. According to Olivia's map and calculations, it took them about half an hour less to get to the Mystery Shack than to the town proper. To no one's surprise, it was a tourist trap.

A couple of children, a boy and a girl, played outside. Hopefully, they'd stay there while the adults talked. However, as soon as they saw them, the kids stopped and called toward the building, "Grunkle Stan! Tourists!"

At that last word, an old man in a black suit, a red fez, an eyepatch, and holding a cane, stormed out from the shack, his arms spread out. 

"Hello and welcome to the Mystery Shack!" he exclaimed. "Now, if you come over here, we can start the tour. After the entry fee, of course!" He winked at the group in a complicity so rehearsed Olivia had to grimace.

"We're not tourists," she began, but he interrupted her.

"Oh, come on! Everyone can be a tourist! Even if you're here in business, you can always take a moment to look at the wonders hiding behind that door!" He pointed at the shack with his cane. "It's great for the soul!"

There was something about his tone and the certainty in which he carried himself that for a second made Olivia doubt her resolution.

Before she could answer, though, Peter placed a hand on her arm. "I'll go first," he said, holding up a pair of bills, "and I will let you know how it goes." His grin made clear he planned on making the most of his own past as a conman.

Usually, Olivia wouldn't condone this kind of behavior. It was unprofessional, and there were procedures in place to deal with sabotage and fraud—which weren't exactly her jurisdiction. Not to mention that the old man seemed like the kind of person who would just shrug off any official warning. Some people needed to learn the hard way. Besides, that didn't mean they would waste time; she could take the chance to ask the kids about anything strange happening in the area. Children had a way to notice things.

"Okay," she said. "Go have some fun. I'll look after Walter."

After pocketing the money, the old man passed an arm around Peter's shoulders and led him to the shack. "Excellent! You won't regret it!"

"I know I won't," Peter answered with perfectly believable innocence as they both walked inside.

It was then, and only then, that Walter came by Olivia to tug at her sleeve. "You have to see this! I found something in the back and I can't tell if it's a rock or a face!"

"Ah, yes," the girl said. "No one can tell with that one."

Olivia took the opportunity to start winning the children's trust. "Really?" she asked, eyebrows raised and with the tone of voice she used for Ella. "It must be really impressive!"

"It is!" both kids and Walter said in unison.

"And it isn't the weirdest thing you can find around here," the boy said. "Not even by far."

Olivia decided to count this as a step in the right direction. She knelt down to look at them in the eye. "You know, I think I'd like to hear all about it while your grandfather comes out."

The girl snorted. "He's not our grandfather," she said. "He's our great uncle. Or, as we like to call him, grunkle."

"I like how that sounds!" Walter said.

"So, if you're not tourists, what are you?" asked the boy in a way that made clear they didn't get many visitors their... _grunkle_ would want to scam.

"Well, since honesty is always the best policy," Olivia begun reaching into her pocket for her badge, and hoping the kids would get her point, "my name is Olivia Dunham. I'm with the FBI. We're investigating reports of strange phenomena going on in this area. Have you noticed anything?"

This brought the exact reaction she expected. The boy even began to flail.

"Have we?" he exclaimed. "Oh, boy! You're in for a treat! I'm Dipper, and this is my sister Mabel, and I'll be right back! I have to show you the book!"

"What book?"

"Only the book that will turn your world upside down!" Dipper said, already on his way.

"Wait! You can't say that and leave me hanging!" Walter said, hurrying after the boy the best he could.

"Walter!" Olivia called as she stood up, but Mabel tugged her sleeve.

"Don't worry. He'll be fine. The Mystery Shack is completely old-man proof."

Olivia stopped herself before commenting that the girl looked too calm about having a stranger walking into her house. Said house was a tourist trap, after all. Maybe she should ask about the book instead. However, before she could say anything about it, someone in the forest called for help.

Olivia tensed up and spun around slowly, looking for the origin of the cries. 

"Help! Help!" yelled a different voice, and that was all she needed to hurry.

"Can you go look for Peter? The man who went with your great uncle" she told Mabel, and when the girl nodded, Olivia hurried to find out what was going on.

Meanwhile, the cries continued. "Help! Help!" yelled one voice. "Shmebulock!" yelled another as she reached the trees... A strange word, but she'd find out about it later.

"No! Wait!" Mabel exclaimed then, behind her. "Wait! That's a trap!"

Olivia froze. "A trap?" she repeated to the girl who had already join her.

Mabel nodded. "Yes! Those are the—" A net raising from their feet, and that left them hanging from a tree branch, interrupted her. "—the gnomes," Mabel finished, all squashed against Olivia, and both of them unable to move.

"Gnomes..." Olivia mumbled, but then, they appeared. Little men with beards and pointy hats climbed down like squirrels from the higher branches of the tree.

"Finally!" one of them said, laughing. "Finally we will have a queen!"

"I already told you I won't marry you, Jeff!" Mabel said.

The gnome called Jeff pouted. "I didn't mean you! I meant her!" He pointed at Olivia. "We've been going through our lore of yore, and our kind should be kidnapping blondes, not brunettes. But you can be a bridesmaid, Mabel."

"I'm not marrying anyone either," Olivia said, glaring at as many gnomes as she could. By now, she was reasonably sure this was a dream, but she would stand her ground regardless.

Jeff waved his hand. "It's all right. You can be feisty. We've always wanted a warrior queen. Lower them to the cage! The ceremony begins in two hours!"

As the gnomes lowered down the net slowly, Olivia looked to the ground. There was a cage there, barely enough for the two of them, made of wood and rope.

"Mabel, did he really try to make you marry him?"

"Marry _them_. To be their queen you have to marry all of them. Dipper saved me last time and then we defeated them with a leaf blower. But the leaf blower is on the other side of the shack and everyone else is inside!"

"Don't worry. Leave this to me; I'll get us out." At that moment, the net reached the bottom of the cage, allowing it to spread. "Stay still," Olivia told Mabel and started to work to untangle them both.

Several gnomes gathered around the cage to lift it with their shoulders. Apparently, no one had told them about the wheel.

"We have all planned," Jeff said, unrolling a piece of paper. "The feast, the ceremony... The post-ceremony feast... We even have dancing squirrels. You're going to love them!"

By then, Olivia had got rid of the net. "This is your last chance to let us go," she told Jeff. 

"You listen to her!" Mabel said. "She's an FBI agent!"

"She can send them a letter to say she quit later," Jeff said.

A collective groan came from the gnomes when they started to move the cage, and Olivia took that as a sign to kick the side of her prison. It came undone more easily that she thought. 

The gnomes stayed still for a long moment as she stood up, reached for her gun, and shoot up to the sky. Then, they went in all fours and ran for their lives. But Olivia had a specific target, and she went after Jeff, cornering him against the stump of a tree. Her hand didn't tremble when she pointed her weapon to his nose.

"You want a queen, then?" she said.

Jeff nodded slowly. 

"Well, I'll be her. I will be your warrior queen, but by conquest." She jerked her head in Mabel's general direction. "And she'll be my Prime Minister, and she'll be in charge while I'm not around. Understood?"

"But..."

Olivia pressed the gun against his forehead. " _Understood?_ "

"All right! All right... Your Majesty!"

"Better." She straightened up and put her gun back into the holster. "Now, all of you, get lost. And no more kidnapping."

"Yes, Your Majesty..." came a chorus in the way chastised children would say it, as the remaining gnomes did as told, followed by a very sad "Shmebulock..."

Olivia rubbed her face, mainly to make sure she was solid and she was there. This had to be her most surreal experience ever, and she'd experienced interdimensional travel.

"That was amazing!" Mabel said. "You completely owned the gnomes, agent! I mean, Your Majesty. And I promise to be I'll be the best Prime Minister they ever had!"

"I know you will," Olivia said, walking back to the shack. "Does this kind of thing happen often?"

"Not this exact kind of thing, but a lot of weird stuff does happen."

Olivia nodded. They still need to investigate further, but it seemed the reports they got were true. However, before anything else, she needed a drink.

***

Dipper and Peter were sitting in the living room, the second leafing through a book, and looking very interested.

"Hey, Liv!" he said when he saw her and Mabel walking in. "It says here there are gnomes in the area. Can you believe it?"

"It's true!" Dipper said, pouting and with his arms folded.

"Yeah, I can believe it," Olivia said. "Where is Walter?"

"In the kitchen with Grunkle Stan... Wait," he added after a double take. "You can believe it? The gnomes?"

Olivia kept her deadpan demeanor. "Yes, I do. I'll be right back. I need to talk to Walter. Mabel will fill you in."

Peter looked from her to the girl, who began telling their tale. Olivia just let them be and went to look for the the kitchen. It was likely the shack's owner had some booze there anyway.

***

"Will you please just lower that pan?" Stan was saying as Olivia was about to get in the kitchen. She stopped and took a peek, to discover Walter threatening the other man with a sturdy frying pan.

Olivia was about to intervene, but then Walter said, "No until you tell me where Stanford Pines is!"

"I am Stanford Pines!"

"Good try. You could have been fooling this town for thirty years, but I'm smarter than that and I can count how many fingers you have on each hand! Where is he? What did you do to him?"

The man who claimed the name of Stanford Pines winced and went pale. "I... How do you know it's been thirty years?" he asked in a softer voice, once that dripped guilt.

"We were friends! But one day he stopped answering the phone or my letters. He never said anything when I told him what had happened to my son... Peter... I've been so angry with him since then I didn't even want to come, just in case I'd run into him."

"Your son looks like he's doing fine," 'Stanford' offered.

It was Walter's turn to look away. "Just tell me what happened to my friend."

After a long moment of silence and hesitation, 'Stanford' began in a voice so low Olivia had to make an effort to understand the words, "I'm trying to get him back. My name is Stanley. I'm Stanford's twin brother, and..." Another pause in which he scratched the back of his neck. The next words came slowly, and full of pain. "I accidentally trapped him in another dimension. I know it sounds crazy, but—"

"Show me," Walter interrupted him. "Show me your machine. I can help, really! Stanford and I were friends for a reason." 

Stanley's expression went from incredulity to surprise to hope and Olivia hurried to get Peter. She needed help to either make this work and make Walter's old friend come back, or stop two old men from destroying the world. Again. Her drink would have to wait.


End file.
